Unplanned Return
by allyouhadtodowasstay
Summary: Gregor and his family vacation to New York for two weeks. Gregor does the only sensible thing: He returns to the Underland, but this time he brings his sisters and two unexpected guests with him. His trip becomes a reunion of old friends, old lovers, and old enemies. GregorxLuxa
1. Chapter 1

Return

Chapter One~Family Vacation

Gregor wandered around his small hotel room in New York aimlessly. Coming to New York as a family vacation was a big mistake on his father's part. Especially after 5 1/2 years of avoiding the topic of New York and whatever lay beneath it. Gregor's father had noticed Lizzie's and Gregor's increasing disinterest in Virginia and basically everything in general. He had also not ignored Boot's constant asking for Temp and Hazard and Dulcet. Their mother, on the other hand, refused to notice these things. So, a week ago, Gregor's father announced that they were going to New York for two weeks for "bonding" and "relaxation" using the huge amount of money they had won in a local lottery. But Gregor knew the real reason: the Underland. He knew his father expected Gregor to end up into the Underland, whether by accident or on purpose. This didn't really bother Gregor. In fact, as soon as he heard the news, he was already planning his trip down. He would take Boots and Lizzie with him, of course. Boots would want to see temp, hazard, Dulcet, and probably whatever other friends she made down there. Lizzie would want to see Ripred and, Gregor assumed, the rest of the code team. As Gregor planned out his trip, he heard his mother call him over to one of the two queen size beds in the room. She was stroking the one small purple mark on her cheek from when she had gotten the plaque in the Underland, which was her nervous habit. People often mistook the mark as a bruise, which Gregor's mom was fine with. She didn't exactly want to tell curious coworkers about how her husband and two of her three children disappeared through a laundry grate in their old apartment and that there was a whole civilization of pale skinned, violet eyed people. Gregor walked over to where she was sitting and sat next to her. She visibly took a deep breath and stared into Gregor's eyes, silently telling him to be quiet until she was finished talking. Gregor obeyed.

"Gregor, honey, your father has told me about how you and your sisters want to go to back down to th-the U-Underland," she said with difficulty. "You are seventeen and a half so I can't control you for much longer. Just promise me this, Gregor: If you are going down there again, do not fight in another war, okay? You were and still are too young to fight. Just...just that one little thing, Gregor, and I will let you do whatever you wish." The look in her eyes was so desperate and sad that Gregor knew he had to agree, or at least pretend to agree. He knew that the Underlanders were constantly at war, and times of peace were fairly brief. Still...did Gregor even want to fight again? "No," he told himself," But knowing the Underlanders, they would have you fighting in no time. After all, you were the warrior. Even if you killed him off, you're still a rager. Nowhere is safe for a rager unless he is in battle." Sighing, Gregor nodded at his mom and stood up.

"I'm going to walk around for a bit," he told his mom. "I need to stretch out my legs." Pulling on his shoes, he glanced at her face. The last time he had taken a walk, it was in Virginia. He had accidentally dozed off at a local park and his mom freaked out, thinking that he somehow made it into the Underland even though they were many miles away. As Gregor headed out the door, he suddenly knew where he was going to visit...or rather...WHO he was going to visit.

Gregor walked through New York, relying only on his memory to get to his desired destination. He hoped that he would remember Gregor, but there was always a possibility that...no, he would definitely remember Gregor. After being friends for so long, they would HAVE to remember each other. Gregor carefully knocked on the door to Larry's apartment and waited. Gregor was greeted by a completely unexpected guest, however.

"Gregor!" Angelina shouted. She tackled him in a tight hug that made him slightly uncomfortable. Hearing the yelling, Larry slowly walked up from behind Angelina and his eyes widened as he noticed Gregor. At the sight of their old friend, the two of them bombarded him with questions that Gregor didn't even have time as to process. Gregor held his hand up, trying to silence them before it made his head spin.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys, slow down," Gregor intervened." My family is here in New York for two weeks as a family vacation and I figured I'd stop by to say hello," he said, grinning. When Larry and Angelina heard this, they smiled at Gregor and let him in. He talked with them for about half an hour before remembering he had to get to the hotel. Gregor high fived Larry and hugged Angelina, telling them his hotel and room number and a reminder to visit. In his hurry to get back, Gregor didn't notice the small gray rat following and watching his every move from the shadows.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Gregor yawned and stretched, startling Lizzie, who was sleeping next to him in their shared hotel bed. Boots (who went by Maggie now) was on Lizzie's other side, still snoring softly. Gregor glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand next to him, which read 2:43 AM. Was this it? Would this be the perfect time to take his sisters and sneak down to the Underland? Lizzie was watching her older brother think and whispered to him

"Now?" Gregor thought about it for a moment and then slowly nodded.

"Wake up Maggie. I'll pack life-I mean light. Let's go visit a few friends, shall we?" Gregor whispered back, a grin making its way up onto his face. He was going back.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Armed with a backpack of supplies, Gregor held both Lizzie and Maggie's hand as they slowly tip-toed their way down the hallway and to the three elevators. He let Maggie push the button and as they waited for an elevator, Gregor heard someone curse behind him. He spun around and saw two of the most unexpected people in the world to show up at 3:00 in the morning. Larry and Angelina.

"What the heck are you guys doing here?!" Gregor hissed at them. Larry glared at his friend and said, "Well, we were GOING to prank you but I see that you have plans," he said pointing to Gregor's backpack." Where are you going, anyway?" Gregor, Maggie and Lizzie exchanged looks before they replied at the same time,

"The mall."

"The park."

"Grocery store." The siblings glared at each other and all three of them sighed. Angelina stared at them and raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, we'll take you," Gregor huffed. Larry responded, "Yes!" At the same time Lizzie said, "No! We can't take them, Gregor, it's too dangerous!" Angelina sighed heavily and said, "It's fine. We don't mind a little danger, right Larry?" Larry nodded eagerly and said, "But before we go, can you please explain WHERE we're going?"

Gregor replied, "I'll tell you as we walk," to which his friends nodded.

Gregor had just finished giving them a rundown of the Underland as they reached the big rock at Central Park.

"Any questions?" Gregor asked. Both Larry and Angelina stared at him before asking him an endless string of questions such as:

"So that's why you have scars?"

"Is that why you never take your shirt off?"

"Is that why you turned down Jade Turner when she asked you out?"

"Ohh, is that why you currently have a big claw chained to your backpack?" And

"Telling tales out of school again, are we Overlander? Wait...Gregor knew that voice and it definitely wasn't from the Overland. He spun around and found the rock had been removed from the entrance to the Underland and a young man with a prosthetic leg, leaning on a walking cane about 10 steps down.

"Mareth!" Gregor shouted, and almost tripping as he attempted to hug his friend from a few steps up. Mareth grinned at him and motioned for Gregor, Lizzie, Maggie, and his friends to follow him. Gregor handed Lizzie, Maggie, Larry and Angelina each a flashlight. As they walked down the steps, he heard Larry and Lizzie talking.

"So that's Mareth, and he is...who, again"

"The guard from Gregor's first trip and also his close friend. He's the one who lost his leg."

"Got it."

There was no more conversation between them after that. Meanwhile, Gregor was explaining how he was only there for two weeks and filled him in on his life in Virgina. Mareth filled him in on the peace between the gnawers and the humans and how the gnawers now walked around Regalia freely as if they were humans.

"Luxa also misses you greatly," Mareth said with a sly smile. Before Gregor could respond, they had reached the bats. He greeted Andromeda, and introduced her to his friends. He also did the same to Nike, who said," Greetings, Princess," to Maggie. Maggie looked confused for a moment before replying, somewhat shyly," Greetings princess. We are both princesses." And Nike made the "huh-huh" sound which showed she was laughing. Maggie, Lizzie, and Gregor mounted Nike easily but Larry and Angelina stood next to Andromeda, unsure how to get on. Mareth guided them kindly and soon they were off.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_ _ **~ Hi, You!**_

Gregor talked to Nike as she took them in the direction of Regalia.

"So, Nike, how has the Underland been holding up?" Gregor asked.

"It fares well, Overlander." Nike paused before adding,"Your trip was quite unexpected, however." She

"Oh! Why's that?" Gregor asked, suddenly curious.

"Well… about two or three years after you returned home, a few humans did not wish any more Overlanders to be welcomed into Regalia. They claim you caused much trouble in the war with the gnawers. They spread the idea around Regalia and gained a few followers. When Queen Luxa heard about it, she forbade any mention of it, but…do not expect everyone to welcome you back kindly, Overlander." She warned.

Gregor thought about what Nike had said for a few minutes before turning to Mareth and asking him why he, Andromeda, and Nike were near the entrance to Central Park.

"Queen Luxa now always has the entrances to the Overland patrolled, just in case an Overlander was to fall into the wrong hands. You were saved by the crawlers, but others who fell were not so fortunate." Mareth informed him darkly.

"I see," Gregor said, not really wanting to continue this conversation.

Nike slowed down so that she and Andromeda flew side-by-side, giving Gregor a chance to take a good look (using echolocation) at how his friends were holding up. Larry was a sickly green and Gregor remembered feeling how Larry now looked when he first flew on a bat. Angelina, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. Gregor vaguely remembered visiting an amusement park with the two of them and Angelina wanted to sit in the very front of the roller coasters while Larry and Gregor settled for the middle back. Angelina was always one for adrenaline rushes, which was maybe why she liked drama so much. She had once told them about how exhilarating it was to be on stage while Larry and Gregor only half-listened.

As the bats approached Regalia, Gregor could see how it had changed so much since he had visited. The stone city had expanded as well as the fields. He even saw a few rats milling around the city's borders. As the bats passed over the city's walls, Gregor could see people and gnawers alike pointing at them, whispering amongst themselves. Several people even shot Gregor and his friend dirty looks as they sharpened their blades and scowled.

Nike and Andromeda swooped into the High Hall, which was extremely crowded. Gregor saw many groups of people peering at maps and charts so Gregor assumed there was some kind of meeting going on. The bats landed smoothly into the center of the arena and as Gregor and his friends dismounted the bats, all noise ceased. For a few moments, the Underlanders, Overlanders, and bats stood in awkward silence until one all-too-familiar voice snarled,

"Well, would you look that? It took you long enough, Overlander. Right when we were really starting to get our hopes up that you wouldn't return."

"Hello, Ripred. It's nice to see too." Gregor said, matching the old rat's sarcastic tone. Ripred snarled at him again and walked closer to the bats.

It was then that Ripred noticed Lizzie, Maggie, Larry, and Angelina.

"Oh, well, haven't you grown up, princess? You don't happen to still sing, do you?" Ripred said, addressing Maggie.

In response, Maggie shook her head and grinned at him. Ripred turned to Lizzie and smiled at her, gesturing for her to jump on his back. Even though she was much bigger than the last time they saw each other, she happily obliged. Ripred stared between Larry and Angelina and Gregor, as if trying to work out what their relationship was.

"They're my friends." He told Ripred lamely.

"No, really? Never would've guessed. I didn't need an explanation, anyway. My scouts told me everything." Ripred replied.

Angelina paled, the grin falling from her face.

"Scouts?" She whispered.

"Oh, yes, your little friend Gregor here has played quite an important role in the fate of the Underland, though I'm pretty sure he already told you that, judging from how well you are handling being surrounded by pale, violet-eyed people, giant bats, and a giant rat. When word got in he had returned, we tracked him down immediately. In fact, we even considered kidnapping him if worse came to worst, but thankfully he came back on his own terms." Ripred said.

Angelina nodded in response, but Larry was stock still, staring at the rat.

"You're Ripred, aren't you?" Larry blurted out.

"You know, I think you're idiocy is rubbing off on your friends, Warrior." Ripred said to Gregor.

Gregor rolled his eyes in response, and suddenly he noticed a hunched figure leaning on a cane wobbling over to them. Gregor felt himself smile and called out to the figure.

"Vikus!"

He rushed to greet the old man and found that he was not alone. Trailing behind him was a boy who looked about Lizzie's age. He had green eyes and dark hair. With a shock, Gregor realized the boy was Hazard.

"Hazard!" Gregor exclaimed, hugging the Halflander, but pulling away after a few seconds, grinning.

"It is good to see you too, Gregor." Hazard replied with a smile.

Vikus smiled at the two boys and proceeded to walk towards Maggie, Lizzie, Larry, Angelina, and Ripred. Vikus greeted Lizzie and Maggie warmly, and turned to Larry and Angelina. Both of them seemed a bit paler than usual, but Gregor didn't blame them. It was probably a bit too much to take in all at once.

"Ah, and who might you two be?" Vikus said to them kindly.

"My name is Angelina, and this is Larry." Angelina responded." We're Gregor's friends." Angelina added awkwardly.

Vikus shook their hands and said, "It is an honor, Angelina and Larry. I assume Gregor has told you of our history?"

They both nodded, and Vikus smiled again."Wonderful! We shall exchange stories over supper." Vikus waved over a few guards including Mareth and Peredita. He then waved to a few guards that were given instruction to lead them to the baths. Gregor lagged behind and turned to Vikus when everyone else (not including Ripred and Hazard) was out of earshot.

"Where's Luxa?" He asked.

"Oh, excited to see your girlfriend, are you, boy?" Ripred said, snorting at him.

"She is busy at the moment with…other things, but she will join us in the dining room shortly." Vikus responded.

Gregor ran to catch up to the rest of the group, ignoring Ripred's laughter.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Larry freaked when he was told his clothes were to be burned and Gregor had to reassure Larry multiple times that burning his clothes were to stop any enemies from smelling them from miles away. He was pretty sure Lizzie was doing the same for Angelina on the other side of the room. Normally, this situation would make Gregor laugh, but he was too caught up in his own thoughts. Was Luxa going to greet him kindly? Did she even remember him? Did she have a boyfriend, perhaps one that was not an Overlander who left her and probably broke her heart? What was she doing that made her skip that meeting? These and a million other thoughts raced through his mind as the guards escorted them to the dining room. They all stood around the table, waiting for Luxa to arrive before being seated. Suddenly, a large black bat swooped into the High Hall and landed into the empty chair next to Gregor.

"Ares?" he whispered, before blacking out and his thoughts dissolving into darkness.

 **A/N: Hehehe… sorry for the cliffhanger. Sorry my chapters have been kind of short, but I've been at a camp all week and I didn't have time to write that much. Please forgive me! . . Anyway, sorry for not uploading sooner. I have more free time this week, so be expecting some fun stuff in the future.** (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter three~ What? No kiss?_

Gregor awoke to a pair of brown eyes staring down at him.

"You slept for a long time." Maggie said, grinning as Gregor tried to sit up.

"Let him breathe, Maggie." Lizzie said from a chair in the corner of the room. She sounded tired and Gregor felt like hitting himself in the head a million times with a shovel. How could he make Lizzie go on like this, wondering if he'll never wake up? Even since they left the Underland, Lizzie's worry lines grew deeper and every little thing set her off. He really should have handled himself better...but for what? How could he have prepared himself for seeing a bat who looked insanely like his deceased bond?

Gregor's head was spinning from struggling to get up, but through his whirlwind of thoughts, he heard a voice softly call out his name. A voice that made him forget all about that big black bat. A voice that he had longed to hear again ever since they were separated.

Luxa stood in the doorway of his hospital room, leaning on the frame for support, as if she was dealing with too many things to support herself. She was accompanied by Angelina and Larry, but Gregor had eyes only for her. He dizzily took one step to her and she did the same. He could see the lilac circles under her eyes and he knew he wasn't the only one who had nightmares when they were apart. They just stared at each other until Gregor broke the silence and said,

"What? No kiss? Not even a smile?"

Luxa glared at him before pulling him into a tight hug. She pulled away a bit too soon, in Gregor's opinion.

"Oh, get a room you two. Or at least get your sorry butts to the arena for training." Ripred snarled, whacking Larry in the head with his tail as he entered the room. "This is no time for romantic gestures. Meet me at the place after training, boy. We need to get your rager senses back under control." Ripred said, addressing Gregor.

He nodded in response, and Ripred left the room, lightly smacking Angelina in the back with his tail as he did so.

Angelina frowned and then took a step towards Gregor. She said,

"Okay, what the heck is going on? I know you explained everything to us in Central Park, but we still need further explanation. Why did you pass out during the meal when that black bat came flying in? And what do you mean, training? I thought you killed the warrior!" She yelled, the volume of her voice rising.

Luxa said," Overlanders, all of you should accompany us in training. It is probably best, considering the current situation we are in." Maggie looked excited at the prospect of training, but Lizzie furrowed her brows.

"What current situation are we in, exactly?"

"We are preparing for war against the cutters." Luxa said calmly. But she glanced at Gregor, who was keeping his face expressionless. Angelina and Larry both exchanged worried glances at these words.

"We're not soldiers, Your Highness. We can't possibly participate in this war that you-"

"It is essential you learn how to defend yourself, at the very least. Come along, Overlanders." Luxa cut him off.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

She led them to the High Hall and Luxa signaled a few bats to take them to the Arena. Gregor ended up riding on a dark brown bat that seemed barely full grown.

"Greetings, Overlander. I am he called Iapetus. It is an honor to finally meet you, Warrior."

"The pleasure is all mine, Iapetus." Gregor responded. That was all the discussion they had the whole flight.

When the bats reached the arena, Larry and Angelina were in awe. Gregor knew they hadn't seen anything like it before in the Overland. Gregor surveyed the scene as well, holding onto Maggie's hand before she ran off somewhere. Even though she was eight years old, she hadn't lost her two year old energy. There were groups of trainees doing things ranging from blood balls to tumbling to fighting on fliers. He noticed Mareth waving them over, so they jogged over to him.

"Hello, Gregor. Maggie shall train with Arran over there," Mareth said, pointing to a young man who had a friendly look on his face and was surrounded by eight year olds. Maggie happily ran over to him.

"Lizzie shall train with Freya," Mareth continued, waving to a middle aged woman who was showing a boy Lizzie's age how to properly hold a sword. Lizzie walked over to Freya shyly, and stood next to a girl who seemed entranced by Lizzie's brown hair.

"And you four shall train with me, if that is alright with you." Mareth said jokingly. Gregor, Luxa, Larry, and Angelina followed Mareth to a group of teens their age. They all stared at Gregor and he heard them whispering words like "warrior" and "overlander" and also "Ares". Mareth went through a cart of swords and handed one to each of them (except for Luxa, who had brought her own).

"These will have to do for now, but if you wish, you can visit the armory and choose another one to your preference." Mareth informed the Overlanders. He received nods in return. Mareth walked to the front of the group (he had gotten quite good at moving around on his prosthetic leg) and addressed the group.

"We shall be starting with 2 laps around the arena and then proceed to regular training, beginning with flexibility."

Gregor groaned. He hated tumbling. Luxa heard him and smirked at Gregor. He glared back at her, and then proceeded to sprint ahead of her as they started their jog. Luxa ran past him a few moments later and it soon became a competition between the two of them until Mareth ordered them to knock it off, all the while trying not to smile. By then, they were laughing hysterically and grinning like they were twelve years old again. But Gregor's grin soon faded as soon as they got into gymnastics. Over the few years Gregor had been away, Luxa had improved even more while Gregor, on the other hand, had only gotten worse.

"Tuck your legs in when you roll, Gregor." Luxa said between laughs.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Your turn." He said, brushing himself off and wincing in pain from when his back slammed against the floor. Of course, she preformed the somersaults perfectly, and even added some twisty thing at the end which wasn't even necessary.

Next, the group moved on to dummy practice, which Gregor excelled at. He was also pleased when Larry did pretty well for his first time. They then moved onto blood balls, which filled Gregor with dread. The last time he had trained with blood balls, Ares had been there for him. Now, he only had a watchful crowd of Underlanders expecting him to do something amazing. He got in the back of the line, behind Luxa. He clapped for everyone and cheered when both Larry and Angelina hit four blood balls each. Luxa hit nine, which was the highest score anyone had gotten yet that day. Then it was Gregor's turn.

As he stepped up to the cannons and got into a ready position, he heard people begin to crowd around and him and whisper excitedly. Mareth signaled the cannons, and Gregor felt the rager sensation take over. One, two, three blood balls burst open directly in front of him. Four, five, then six came at his left and hit the ground open. Seven, eight, nine, ten came at him from the right and hit the ground covered in red. The last five came all at once from every side and he slashed his sword in an arc to protect himself. They all fell to the ground in a pool of blood around him in a matter of seconds. The crowd around Gregor cheered, and he felt people clap him on the back and congratulate him. Luxa came up to him, her brows slightly furrowed, and whispered in his ear.

"No freaking out this time?" She asked.

"No freaking out this time." He agreed.

They then moved on to training with fliers, and Gregor was paired up with Iapetus, for he had no bond. Angelina and Larry went on the same bats they came on as well. In the drill, you started out hovering above the dummies and then attacking the dummies in a twisting order upon signal from Mareth. The exercise required a lot of skill and sharp turns, which made Gregor, feel slightly uneasy. He really didn't know this flier like he knew Ares. Still, it couldn't be worse than gymnastics. Gregor and Iapetus were fourth in line. Luxa, Angelina, and some other guy Gregor didn't know were hovering in front of him one their bats. Larry was behind Gregor, and he could hear Larry breathing in small, distressed puffs while his bat tried to calm him down. Mareth gave a signal and the random guy took off. He managed to stab most of the dummies, but he missed a few by a long shot. Angelina shot off next, and she stabbed half of the dummies, which brought gentle praise from Mareth. Luxa and Aurora gracefully sped off and the two of them weaved through the dummies gracefully and only missed about five. As Aurora flew upwards to join the other bats near the top of the arena, Gregor saw Mareth give them a signal and Iapetus took off.

Iapetus was pretty good at the maneuvering around the dummies so Gregor could hit all of them. His rager senses were at its peak by the time he was halfway through the drill. As Gregor leaned in to take out one of the dummies, a young, awry flier sped at them. Without warning, Iapetus jerked sideways to avoid the flier and Gregor fell off of him. He fell for a few seconds until he was caught with a thud by who Gregor assumed was Iapetus, although Gregor didn't have time to register which flier he was on. What mattered to him was that he had seventeen more dummies to go. The bat weaved through the dummies in sharp, quick motions and Gregor stabbed all of them in the heart.

"Well done, Overlander." The bat purred as it smoothly glided upwards towards the other bats.

"Thank you," Gregor responded, mostly to be polite. He sat up straighter on the bat, and suddenly he realized something was wrong. Iapetus was flying below him, without a rider. This bat was larger than Iapetus, and stronger. His voice was different too. Deeper. Silkier. Much more familiar. He looked down at the bat's coat, not seeing dark brown, but seeing glossy black. With his heart racing, Gregor glanced at his right wing. His claw was missing.

 **A/N: Well, at least you know who the bat is now. I was planning on adding more to this chapter including details about why Ares is there and not dead and such, but I wanted this chapter to be a tiny bit suspenseful, since most of the events in it weren't all that eventful. Thank you for the favorites/follows/reviews! Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_ _~ Hope_

 **A/N: Get your bodies ready. There's some Gluxa ahead. ;)**

Gregor nearly fell off of a bat for the second time that day.

"Ares!" He shouted, unable to keep the joy out of his voice. He knew he probably attracted many strange looks from the Underlanders, but he had endured far worse down here than public embarrassment.

"Greetings, Overlander. It has been awhile." Ares responded. Gregor laughed. He couldn't help himself. Maybe it was the rager sensation, or just the joy of being with the one creature he trusted most. Whatever the reason, Gregor threw his head back and laughed, running his fingers through the silky black coat he was so familiar with.

They watched the rest of the trainees in silence, though Gregor thought he was going to explode from all the questions he had. He felt something buzzing in his chest and heart, something he hadn't felt in over five years.

 _Hope._

The one thing Vikus had told him he had given him. He silently thanked Vikus for his philosophy as Ares coasted into the High Hall smoothly along with the other bat. Before Aurora had even landed, Luxa leaped off of her and landed gracefully onto the floor. She marched over to where Gregor was dismounting Ares, and gave them one of her rare half smiles.

"I see you two have reunited. Let us go eat. I am sure you have much to talk about." She said, signaling for them to follow her. Aurora joined with Ares and they put their heads together, exchanging some information in pitches too high for Gregor and Luxa to hear. Gregor matched his pace with Luxa's, behind the two bats, and he looked at her. She noticed, and turned her head to face him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked softly. Luxa frowned.

"I did not know he lived until after you had left. I had no way of telling you, for I assumed you left for…Virgina."She said the last word slowly; as if she was afraid she had gotten the name wrong.

"I meant after that. When you visited me in the hospital." He said, not taking his eyes off of her. She toyed with a small piece of hair that was tucked behind her ear before responding.

"I did not know how well you would handle the news, especially after you passed out when he flew in." Luxa said, meeting Gregor's gaze. He laughed.

"How did everyone react? I assume it was quite a mess." Gregor said, chuckling to himself. The corners of Luxa's mouth curved upward slightly.

"Oh, yes. You caused quite a scene. I walked in, expecting everyone to be alive and well, but instead I found Lizzie hyperventilating, Ripred yelling for a doctor while laughing, of course. Boots- I mean Maggie was screaming, Hazard was trying to get Lizzie and Maggie calm down, Vikus was trying to revive you, and Ares was fluttering around and muttering, 'I did not mean to harm him, I did not mean to harm him.' while Aurora tried to calm him. So yes, Gregor, it was quite a mess." She responded, trying to look menacing. They both burst into laughter as they entered the Dining Hall, where Howard, Nike, Hazard, Maggie, Lizzie, and Ripred were gathered around the table, but were quickly silenced by the solemn looks on their faces.

' _Oh no'._ Gregor thought. ' _Someone is dead. I know it._ '

"What has happened?" Luxa demanded. Nobody met her eyes, not even Ripred, who looked down at his claws. Lizzie, who hated it when people ignored her questions, responded.

"A bat flew in and he received word that Vikus had died when he went to meet and try to reason with the cutters." She said quietly, her bottom lip trembling.

It took Gregor a moment to comprehend the news. Vikus. Brave, hopeful, kind Vikus. It seemed strange to Gregor that he had thanked Vikus for his lesson in hope only moments ago. It seemed like a million years ago that Vikus had greeted him in the arena when he and Boots had fallen through their laundry grate that summer. Gregor looked around the room, which was completely silent except for Maggie's sniffles. Ripred was still looking down at his claws. Luxa had paled even more (if possible) and she looked shocked. Howard was crying silent tears and Nike had a wing around him, but Hazard only looked confused.

"At least he is reunited with Solovet. I do not see why we shall be sad. He flies now with Thalia, Hamnet, and Frill." He stated with his usual frankness. Luxa shook herself out of her stupor, and hugged him.

"That is right, Hazard. He is in a good place now." She said, and stood up. She looked straight at Ripred. "Where did Vikus meet the cutters?" She said sharply.

Ripred looked up from his claws and chuckled. "Now we're talking, Your Highness. He met them near the edge of the jungle. He had hoped to negotiate with them, for our scouts told us they had been plotting to attack Regalia. The cutters attacked him on sight, and…Well… you know he was not at full strength. He and his bond fought them for as long as they could, but Vikus was killed. His bond picked up his body and fled the battle. We expect the cutters to attack us within the next couple of days." He said.

Luxa absorbed the information, showing no emotion on her face. Wordlessly, she jumped off the balcony of the room and he knew Aurora had caught her and they flew out of the palace. Gregor raised his eyebrows at Ares.

' _Wanna go?'_ He asked with his eyes.

Ares nodded slightly and Gregor launched himself off of the ledge of the balcony. Ares caught him within seconds, and they flew to Ares's old hideout, where they assumed Luxa and Aurora had flown off to. Sure enough, Luxa was huddled in Aurora's wing on the cave floor, not crying but simply staring at Gregor and Ares as they entered. They all stood in slightly awkward silence until Luxa whispered something into Aurora's velvety, golden ears, and she flew out of the cave. Ares glanced at Gregor, who nodded at him to leave, before flying after her.

Gregor sat down next to Luxa and opened up his arms. Luxa scooted over to him, letting Gregor's arms envelope her. She sat in his lap, resting her head comfortably on his shoulder. Gregor listened to Luxa's rhythmic breathing, pulling her even closer to his chest as she stared blankly at the cave wall. They sat that way for who knew how long, until Luxa spoke up.

"Remember you asked why I didn't call Vikus Grandpa? He said it was our way of tradition, but he lied. It is because after my parents died, I did not want another parent figure to replace them. Now, I regret my decision." She said, not looking at Gregor. He didn't respond.

Instead, he turned her head softly to face him, and kissed her softly. It was the first time they had kissed since Gregor's return, but this was unlike their first kiss. This one was more comforting, and Gregor let all his bottled up emotions for her flood out of him through the kiss. Gregor stood up and Luxa wrapped her legs around his waist as he backed into the cave wall. She had her hands in his brown hair, and Gregor knocked her gold crown off her head while his fingers played with her silvery locks. They pulled apart and Gregor whispered comforting words against her lips before closing the space between them again.

"Are we interrupting something?" a deep purr called from the mouth of the cave. Gregor and Luxa pulled apart immediately, and glared at Ares, who stood in the opening of the cave, with Aurora behind him, giving them both a look of amusement. Ares laughed at the couple, and Aurora joined in. Soon, they were all laughing, and Gregor felt something he knew Vikus would be proud of as he and his friends laughed together.

 _Hope._

 **A/N: Well, that got sappy real quick. At least there are no cliffhangers this time *insert nervous laughter*. Thank you so much for the favorites/follows/reviews. It means a lot to me! ^U^**


End file.
